The need for flexible, visually enhanced devices particularly flexible visually enhanced print media arises in a variety of situations. In print media such as books and the like, it can be advantageous to enhance characteristics or other indicia such as illustrations which are typically carried on a page as conventional print with additional devices which are aesthetically pleasing and/or intellectually interactive with the viewer or reader. For instance, various book devices have been proposed which integrate audio playback devices, glow in the dark ink, or backlit pages. A central battery generally powers such devices.
Visually enhanced devices have been enthusiastically received. However the range of application has been somewhat limited. Constraints regarding power supply and the types of power sources which can be used have limited the applications for such devices. Power output constraints can also be a factor in limiting the useful life of the associated device. Limitations regarding the size, precision and/or accuracy of the placement of characters or indicia on the page or substrate surface have also limited the utility of associated devices. Finally, most interactive sheets or pages necessarily have been thick and rigid elements in order to protect and maintain the visual enhancement and any electronic circuitry and leads associated with the page itself.
While various types of interactive and/or visually enhanced media have been proposed, electroluminescent lamp assemblies in such devices show certain advantages. Electroluminescent lamp assemblies typically provide an appealing glowing characteristic and can be configured to have desirable operational power requirements.
Heretofore, the application of interactive or electronically augmented visually enhanced media employing electroluminescent lamp assemblies has been limited to applications in which the rigidity of the sheet can be strictly maintained. This may be feasible in certain situations such as in children's board books and the like but it becomes problematic where greater degrees of bending or flexibility are required. It can also become problematic in situations which require the use of individual sheets such as with function cards, novelty cards and the like. Additionally, it has been difficult to use visual enhancement devices such as electroluminescent lamps in situations where the associated substrate is to be applied to uneven and/or flexible underlying surfaces. Heretofore, electroluminescent lamp assemblies required the associated use of stiffening devices to insure sufficient rigidity to insure proper function of the electroluminescent lamp. Thus, the use of devices employing electroluminescent lamps assemblies as all or a part of the interactive and/or visual enhancement has been limited in areas such as in safety applications, locational orientation devices and the like.